The life-saving drug Naloxone is about to be unscheduled easing how it can be accessed and sold in Manitoba.
Naloxone is an antidote to an opioid overdose by reversing temporarily the slow breathing associated with from an opioid overdose.
Currently the drug is listed as a Schedule II drug which only allows it to be sold in pharmacies or handed-out by health-care providers. Legislative changes will list it as an unscheduled drug allowing it to be sold in any retail business or handed out by anyone.
Manitoba becomes the fourth jurisdiction to make Naloxone an unscheduled drug among with British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“We know that access to naloxone can help people survive an opioid overdose, which is why we introduced the provincial Take-Home Naloxone program in 2017, and have continued to make improvements to the program to increase access to naloxone,” said Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen. “This legislative change will open up access for front-line social service providers to provide kits where they are needed most. It will also allow retail kits to be sold at a range of retail locations to further improve access to the drug, helping us protect Manitobans from death related to opioid overdose.”
© News4.ca 2020